Chinese Democracy

Posted November 14, 2011byMPPL

What happens when you introduce a democratic election into a class of third-graders in Wuhan, China? Apparently, some of the same calculating behaviors we see exhibited in political races in the U.S. Please Vote for Me (2007) is a fascinating study of what candidates feel they must do to win an election. In this filmed experiment, the role of class monitor, usually appointed by the teachers, will be decided by popular vote. Name-calling, campaign promises, and offering of incentives are all the more troubling since this is a culture that hasn’t already been inundated with unsavory politicking. Please Vote for Me is a compelling story on its own, and it also offers sobering insight into the competitive nature of each of us.